Signed by Dodgers executive Branch Rickey and groomed through a season in the minor leagues, Robinson endured death threats, hostile crowds, and even hostility from some teammates to break a color barrier that had held for sixty years. He went hitless in his debut against the Boston Braves but reached first on an error and later scored, a quiet start to a season that ended with him winning the inaugural Rookie of the Year award.
Rickey had spent two years scouting Robinson specifically for his temperament as much as his talent, reportedly telling him directly that he needed 'a player with guts enough not to fight back' against the abuse that was certain to come. Robinson, a four-sport star at UCLA and former Army lieutenant court-martialed (and acquitted) for refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus, agreed to swallow his pride publicly for at least his rookie season.
On April 15, 1947, roughly 26,000 fans packed Ebbets Field, more than a third of them Black New Yorkers who had come specifically to witness the moment. Robinson played first base that day, not yet his natural position, a testament to how much the Dodgers organization was still improvising around this unprecedented experiment.
His rookie season, in which he batted .297 and stole 29 bases while absorbing relentless verbal abuse and spikes-up slides from opponents, is now commemorated every April 15 across MLB as Jackie Robinson Day, when every player on every team wears his retired number 42.
Key people: Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey